Job Discussion Forums

[TRod]

Hi,

Does anyone know any good and somewhat inexpensive Japanese language schools I can attend on my days off on Sunday or Monday, or in the mornings before work? I'm an Eikaiwa teacher here and I feel that I am not learning any Japanese while over here...

Thanks.

[furiousmilksheikali]

Where do you live?

[TRod]

I live in Funabashi, Chiba work in Chiba some days and then Tokyo (close to Odaiba) on other days.

[Venti]

Trod,
Go to your local city office (shiyakusho) and ask if there's an international center or some other place in your city where foreigners can take cheap Japanese lessons (300-500円 per week). Lots of towns and cities have places like this.
There is a school run by the people who produce the Japanese for Busy People (JBP)series in Tokyo, but it's quite expensive. The information is usually written on cards found in copies of the JBP books, which you can find at any Kinokuniya or Maruzen.

[TRod]

Hi Venti

Yeah i heard of that. And I was kinda doing that before in Tokyo. The quality is so so but what can you expect for that price. I will look around! Thanks!

[sethness]

Aside from "international centers" which are often excellent, also consider asking City Hall if there are any "kouminkan" or "shuukaisho" in the area. These are community centers that often have an incredible range of free or nearly-free lessons, sports clubs, hobby clubs, cooking lessons, calligraphy, painting, oshibana, sign language...etc.

Where i used to live, there were quite good Japanese lessons offered to foreigners for free at these "kouminkans". (A "kouminkan" is sort of like a YMCA, with a goverment affiliation rather than a religious affiliation.)

Another route is to contact JLPT. As I recall, there's at least one organization of volunteer Japanese folks who will teach foreigners Japanese to prepare us-foreigners for taking those tests.